Authorities in eastern Bangladesh report that two trains crashed, causing at least 17 fatalities and numerous injuries.
In Bhairab, 80 kilometers (50 miles) northeast of Dhaka, a freight train collided with the back coaches of a passenger train on Monday afternoon.
A railway officer who wished to remain unnamed told BBC Bengali that the incident was most likely the result of a signal fault.
Due to inadequate infrastructure, train accidents are widespread in Bangladesh.
Following Monday’s collision at the Jagannathpur rail crossing, which resulted in three coaches flipping over, fourteen passengers riding the Egarsindhur Twilight passenger train perished there and there, according to BBC Bengali. Two coaches, at least, were broken.
Bangladesh train derailed in densely populated Dhaka, killing at least five people.
“After the collision, a lot of passengers became stuck inside. According to local fire chief Mohammad Masud, the majority of victims passed away immediately.
At the hospital, which is treating roughly 50 injured people, three more people passed away. As rescue efforts continue, the death toll could rise even higher, Dhaka Railway Police Superintendent Anowar Hossain warned reporters.
Before the rescue teams got at the post, locals stepped forward to assist the people, a local government official told the BBC.
The rush of injured made it difficult for hospital staff to handle the situation, so they requested further help from adjacent medical facilities.
The accident’s cause is the subject of a formal investigation by Bangladeshi authorities.
Past incidents have been attributed to signal mistake as well as poor track conditions and unattended rail crossings.
A passenger train headed for Dhaka and a freight train crashed in Comilla, south of Bhairab, in April, resulting many numerous injuries. An incorrect signal was also to fault for that incident.
